To use the Exposure Notifications System, some public health authorities customize a template app provided by Google. With the template app, public health authorities can customize how an exposure is defined and some of the content within the app, such as the guidance provided after an exposure.
If an Exposure Notifications app is available in your region, you can download it from the Play Store. Learn how to use the Exposure Notifications System on your phone.
Share app usage & performance data with Google
To help maintain and improve the template app, you can choose to share some limited, de-identified data about app performance and usage with Google.
What information is shared with Google
If usage and performance sharing is on, your device sends limited info to Google about the app's performance, such as data about errors, battery usage, and connection issues. This info helps us make sure the app works as intended.
This data does not identify you, and is only used to maintain and improve the template app, in accordance with Google's Privacy Policy.
Turn usage & performance on or off
Important: If you turn off usage and performance, you can still use your app.
To choose whether to send usage and performance data about the app to Google:
- Open your app.
- At the top right, tap Settings.
- Tap App usage & performance sharing.
- Turn the setting on or off.
What happens if you travel
If you travel between countries:
- The app stores the mobile country codes for the countries you've been to in the last 14 days. This can let the app check if you were exposed to people who use Exposure Notifications in those countries, depending on how your public health authority set up their app.
- If you report having COVID-19, you can choose to share if you traveled to other countries. This can help inform others you were near that they may have been exposed, depending on how your public health authority set up their app. The specific countries you traveled to will not be shared.
Share analytics data with your health authority
Your public health authority may ask you to share limited, non-identifying analytics data. The public health authority may use the data to calculate aggregate statistics, which can help improve its COVID-19 containment efforts. The analytics data is encrypted and cannot be read by Google, and is not linked to you or your phone.
These analytics may include the number of exposures in your region and whether you tapped on the notification. The analytics are generated using privacy-preserving technologies and give public health authorities insight into aggregate statistics while protecting the privacy of individual users. The aggregate statistics can help public health authorities determine if their containment efforts are working and evaluate their risk parameters.
Turn analytics sharing on or off
A public health authority determines whether they want to ask for and collect these analytics. You can change your analytics setting for a public health authority.
- Open your Exposure Notifications app.
- At the top right, tap Settings.
- Tap Exposure Notifications analytics.
- Turn the setting on or off.
If this setting is not available in your template app, these analytics are not collected.